Refrigerating apparatus



f/7 Vin/0r H A F i A T. l. POTTER I REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 15.

Aug. 5 1924.

V W A/furna 5 idatented 2 mg, 5, 192

warren stares earner semen THOMAS IRVING PQTTER, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T FEDERATED ENGINEERS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW it'll-MEX, -A

CORPORATION OF -REFRIGWTIHG APPARATUS.

Application filed September 1321. Serial No. 500,757.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I THOMAS IRVING Pora citizen of the United States residlng TER at East Orange in the county of Essex and State of New jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,

forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus particularly adapted for use of ammonia as a refrigerating agent although as will be obvious other known refrigerating agents may be used in the apparatus adopted to illustrate the invention.

An object of the invention is to provide a refrigerating apparatus of simple and till compact construction that is easily operated and maintained in proper working order.

A. further object is to provide a refrigerating apparatus that may be proportioned to small capacity, the refrigerating agent being conveyed in liquid form from the generator to any distant point for refrigeration purposes and returned to the generator as a vapor, then-condensed and again utilized without a power driven pump or the like,

'30 this feature rendering the present invention particularly adaptable for household and restaurant use.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, showin the generator, condenser and heater assem led and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the expansionor coolin chamber and illustrating the connections etween the expansion chamber and that portion of the apparatus shown in e generator of the present invention comprises a gas-tight container 1 having secured therein a pipe coil 2, perforated at intervals, and extending through both the heads of container 1. The outlet pipe of coil 2 projects through the upper head of the container and is fitted with a check valve 3 from which valve a pipe 4 leads to 59 a condensin coil 5 located within a condenser cham er 6, the lower end of the con-- Water, forcondensing purposes, is 'Supplied to the interior of condenser chamber 6 through a supply pipe 8 communicating with the usual service pipe and the water, after passing into the chamber. 6 and cooling the condenser coil 5, is discharged from said chamberthrou h a pipe 9 leading to Y suitable means for heating the water-supplied through said pipe. In the present instance the heating means comprising a coil 10 connected at one end to the pipe 9 and positioned within a casing 11 having a burner and gas supply pipe 12 leading thereto, this construction being the same as the gas heater now in common use for heating water for household purposes. The opposite end of coil 1'0 is connected to acpipe 13 communicating with a second coil 14 also positioned in the container 1 of the generator. and discharging through an outlet pipe projecting through the upper head of said container, the coils of pipe 1% being interposed between the perforated coils 2.

The refrigerating chamber may be a re ceptacle of any desired type but in the present illustration it is shown as comprising a brine tank 16 having an expansion or cooling chamber 17 located therein. The expansion chamber 17 has an entrance opening adapted to be opened and closed by an inwardly closing valve 18 located in valve chamber 19 surrounding the entrance opening of the expansion chamber. Liquefied gas is supplied to the valve chamber 19 from the condenser reservoir 7 through a pipe 20 and to permit the liquefied gas to enter eX- 9o pension chamber 17 valve 18 is normally held open by suitable means preferably in the form of an annular elastic diaphragm 22 secured in the bottom wall of chamber 17 and having the valve stem 21 of the valve 18 secured thereto. "An elastic coil spring 24 on an adjusting screw 23 secured below the diaphragm, bearing against the underside of said diaphragm normally elevates the valve 18 from the entrance opening of the expension chamber. I

Valve 18 being normally maintained opened, liquefied gas will flow into the expansion chamber and will be vaporized therein. A. pipe 25 leads from the expansion chamber to the pipe 2 in container 1, iIhere is a check valve 26 in the' pipe 25 which opens in the direction indicated by thelarrow. However, the gas will not flow into the coil 2 until the pressure in said coil is reduced below that in the chamber 17, as will be presently explained.

Liquefied gas will continue to flow into the expansion chamber until sufiicient gas pressure has been accumulated to depress the diaphragm 22 and close valve 18. By means of the adjusting screw 23, the pressure which the diaphragm 22 will support before closing the valve 18 may be varied at will.

In operation, chamber 1 of the generator is preferably filled with a suitable absorbent material such as dehydrated calcium chloride and the latter is saturated with liquid ammonia. By removing the cap of check valve 26 and partially vaporizing the ammonia in chamber 1, the air may be displaced in the pipe coils 2 and 5, reservoir 7 and chamber 17, after which the system may be sealed by replacing the valve cap. Water is then admitted through pipe 8', a valve (not shown) being provided for controlling the fiow of water therethrough, and passing through the condenser chamber 6 and the heater coil 10 where it is heated, it passes upward into and through coil 141 in the generator and heats the contents of container 1. The liquid ammonia in said chamber is thusvaporized, the accumulation of the vapors in the chamber creating sufiicient pressure to drive off the vapors into and through coil 2 and check valve 3 and into the condenser coil 5 where it is liquefied and collects in the reservoir 7.

The screw 23 having been adjusted against spring 2 1 to lift valve 18 off its seat in the entrance opening of expansion chamber 17, the liquefied gas is free to flow under compression from reservoir 7 through pipe 20 into the expansion chamber until sufficient pressure is developed by vaporization and displacement in said chamber to overcome, by pressure on the upper surface of diaphragm 22, the action of spring 24 and close valve 18.

After the ammonia has been driven 0d by heat from the coil 14 and liquefied in reservoir 7, the heat is-turned ofl from heating coil 10 and the water then flowing through the coil 14 in container 1 will be comparatively cool. Cooling of the contents of container 1 will tend to create a vacuum, or in other words, reduce the pressure in the container below that in the expansion chamber 17 and the container and expansion chamber being in direct communication with each other through pipe 25 and check valve 26, the liquid ammonia in the expansion chamber will be vaporized and returned to the container 1 in the form of vapor, heat being abstracted from the chamber 17 and brine tank 16 during the expansion and evaporation of the ammonia as will be readily understood. As the vapor is condensed and absorbed in the container 1, the pressure on diaphragm 22 will be lowered until the spring-pressed diaphragm is able to raise'the valve 18 against the fluid pressure in the valve chamber 19, when more liquid will flow into the expansion chamber 17.

The vaporization will continue until the temperature in brine tank 16, or other chamber bearing cooled, has been sufiiciently lowered to arrest vaporization in chamber 17 or the liquefied ammonia has all passed from reservoir 7 into chamber 17 and on into chamber 1 and been re-absorbed in the calcium chloride. When the vaporized ammonia has been re-absorbed in container 1 heat is again applied to heating coil 10 and the process'repeated.

It will be noted that coil 2 and a coil 14 are arranged in close proximity through the major portion of their length, this construction serving to greatly expedite the driving off and reabsorption of gases. In other words, the fact that the temperature controlling element is in intimate contact with that part of the refrigerating circuit which communicates with the generator greatly adds to the efficiency and the speed of operation of the apparatus.

. It will be evident that screw 23 serves not merely to regulate the spring pressure in diaphragm 22 but also to control the temperature of the brine tank 16. The vaporization of the liquefied gas in the expansion chamber is produced by the heat from the surrounding brine. The lower the pressure in the expansion chamber, the lower will be the boiling point of the liquefied gas. By adjusting the screw 23 so that valve 18 will close at a comparatively low pressure, the vaporization will continue until the temperature of the brine has been reduced to a correspondingly low temperature, while when the scew 23 is adjusted for a comparativly high pressure, vaporization will cease when the temperature of the brine has been lowered to a correspondingly less extent.

What is claimed is: 1. In a refrigerating apparatus, a generator condenser and expander arranged in a closed refrigerating circuit, means for preventing back flow of refrigerant through said circuit, said generator containing a non-liquid absorbent, said circuit including a refrigerant conducting pipe leading from the expander to the condenser through said generator and having a coiled perforated portion located within the generator, a pipe for conducting temperature regulating fluid in said generator intercoiled with the perforated and coiled portion of said first mentioned conductor.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, a generator, condenser and expander arranged in a closed refrigerating circuit, means preventing back flow of refrigerant through said are circuit, said generator containing a nonregulating fluid,- said pipe being arranged liquid absorbent, said circuit including a in close. proximity to the entire perforated refrigerant conducting pipe leading from portion of the first mentioned ipe whereby 1c the expander to the condenser through the to expedite the absorption and emision of- 5 generator and including a perforated porgases in said generator.

tion located within the generator, 21. pipe in the generator for conducting temperature THOMASIRVING POTTER. 

